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BMW dealers don't seem to be too hungry to sell this car here in So. Cal in my experience. I am thinking of defecting to a GLK or Infiniti EX Journey. I put a request out to both and in a matter of minutes, my email and phone was ringing off the hook. I guess they want to sell cars.

BMW dealers don't seem to be too hungry to sell this car here in So. Cal in my experience. I am thinking of defecting to a GLK or Infiniti EX Journey. I put a request out to both and in a matter of minutes, my email and phone was ringing off the hook. I guess they want to sell cars.

I am sure they do want to sell cars!! I have driven both the GLK and the Infiniti EX and neither of them "drives" like an X3. Do whatever makes you happy, but, for me, the driving dynamics of the BMW outweighs the aggrevations of dealing with some (not all) BMW dealers. Your dime.

There are a plethora of BMW stores in SoCal to choose from -- you just got a couple of slugs. There are plenty of hungry sales people out there just salivating to sell you a car! for a real rocket ride check out the FX50 whilst you are waiting for the BMW store to offer you $500 over dealer cost for an X3. Then, just to keep things honest, try the Cayenne "S" too. Helps put things in perspective IMHO.

They don't seem to understand the concept of wheeling and dealing. I had one tell me to stop "grinding him for hundreds of dollars" when I asked if he will deal better since there is a MACO fee involved. It's been a challenge just getting a quote or responses after the initial contact. They just want me to forward quotes so they can match it rather than trying to win me over and do better. The attitude just makes me think there are plenty of other cars out there that actually wants my business.

They don't seem to understand the concept of wheeling and dealing. I had one tell me to stop "grinding him for hundreds of dollars" when I asked if he will deal better since there is a MACO fee involved. It's been a challenge just getting a quote or responses after the initial contact. They just want me to forward quotes so they can match it rather than trying to win me over and do better. The attitude just makes me think there are plenty of other cars out there that actually wants my business.

IMO, you are buying purely on price so maybe you would be better off with another car. "Detroit" dealers love to wheel and deal.

Sales guys are all individuals. If you want one person's behavior to drive the type of car you buy then ok but you will have the car for much longer than you have to deal with the sales guy. Decide in haste, repent at leisure.

It is usually not up to the sales guy to determine the ultimate selling price.
We seriously considered the EX as well due to the "value" in what was offered. $44.3 msrp...selling price of $38.5k...compared to what was thought to be a full list selling price on the X3. After doing some shopping and making a few connections, the delta between the selling prices of both vehicles diminished to a number that made the X3 a no brainer.
I do not lease cars and often retire them long before one is supposed to, so real residuals are a factor in purchasing. Both Audi and Infiniti rely on CS programs and fleet to move iron. As a result, real residuals take a hit a few years down the road, something BMW has petty much insulated themselves from.

If BMW's are a dime a dozen where you live and your not getting your A?? kissed by a BMW dealer them take a look at KIA. I am pretty sure if you tell them how important you are they will bend over backwards to help you...

Occhi,
There are two points not to be mixed:
One is the demand and order volume
Second is the time-in-market

As for GLK, this car has been around in the market for a couple of years already. It is obvious that the supply has been adapted to meet a considerable part of demand... the salesmen, well they have to sell the stock as well as meeting their targets. So they have passed that threshold.
The X3 on the hand, is a new breed of production with a high demand. At this stage they simply can't mee the high demand that has been over calculated I guess...
This also indicates that GLK is not high in demands compared to the X3.
Gareth from UK is about to order one with a delivery in Feb.2012!!! Luckily it is built in NC and for NAs, it has a quicker delivery time.

On your 2nd point (regarding prices), again, when there is a high demand, getting good deals are most difficult.
The best example is the current 3 series. Since they will be in the market for another year or so, before having a remodelling, they are willing to sell them like heck and are giving low APRs and interest rates just to get rid of them...
If you ask me, I'd say buying the new X3 will look much different in 2 years compared to now...

occhi...that is a shame with your story and honestly it doesn't really add up...something isn't right b/c out here in Jersey I had no problem at all getting people to engage and drop their pants for a good deal. One dealer was going to sell me at invoice but the dealer I went with was a little more (like $150 bucks) but I know the service manager and body shop manager where I'm buying and its always good to have friends in high places after the sale...to me the extra $150 was not a big deal...

Even with that though, I still got like 6.5% off of list and they were all over me...in fact everyone was. With you having what I assume is the same BMW dealership density as we do, I'm shocked they are being like that.

I went to 6-8 different dealerships only in Toronto (GTA) before deciding on the best offer...
Some of them, as you mentioned weren't that pro-active in earning my business, others very excited but couldn't meet my expectations, a couple were willing to go that extra mile... finally one succeeded.
I propose you do the same...and don't give up!

Thanks guys for the feedback (even the not so constructive ones). It really helps me to put things into perspective. I am trying to hang in there b/c I do like the car. The whole car buying thing is so not fun!

Thanks guys for the feedback (even the not so constructive ones). It really helps me to put things into perspective. I am trying to hang in there b/c I do like the car. The whole car buying thing is so not fun!

I disagree with some of the posters here. When you are spending $50k plus a little A kissing should be involved.

That is a lot of money to be spending with the economy still on shaky ground. The second part is they don't know if you may be shopping for one vehicle or many. Meaning maybe you are buying for you wife and if treated right come back for a 7 series for yourself.

When I was in sales I took care of a guy like he was royalty with a $250 purchase. I was admonished by a know it all exec from company head quarters.

A month later he came back with a laundry list of items totaling almost $50k. I sent the receipt to the smart Aleck exec and told him to mind his business and I will do what I do. Make money. I was 23 at the time selling stereo equipment. He (the customer) happened to be the CEO of Sun Oil. I made another $2k installing it all at his house.

I am not looking for anyone to kiss my a** but I do expect them to work at selling. I also expect them to be courteous and not so full of themselves. I read the thread linked above. It is surprising that there are people here that side with the dealers. BMW must have put quite a spell on you.
Some of the CAs' posts are quite bold to say the least especially with customers visiting this forum. I understand that there are difficult customers but they are your customers! Bash them to your friends, at home, etc. but keep it cool here and when you are working with them. You have to be able to work through it. Most of the CAs that posted on that thread, I would never purchase my car from. They seem to feel very entitled and full of themselves. Regardless of what anyone says, wheeling and dealing happens in car purchasing. The very people (dealers) who complain about it are the reason why it happens. When I initially asked for a quote, more than one dealer said they will beat or match any price I have rather than providing me with what I asked for.
It is inappropriate to tell a customer to stop grinding them over a few dollars when I asked if they would consider giving me a deal to offset the MACO fee. This was a question. Simple as that. If they did not want to do it, all they have to say is no.
I am trying to not let one person (not just one btw) deter me from getting the car but it does make me consider other options. I have read similar sentiments on here from other people and now I know why. Unfortunately it has not been the most pleasant experience trying to spend my cash (dealers prefer financing).
Hopefully I get this sucker ordered this weekend so I just have to think about when I get the damn thing!

Go into a BMW dealer and ask for the sales manager - tell him you have spec'd the car out on the website and print it out. Tell him you have your own financing. If he cannot see you, ask for a CA that was a top "Profiles" winner on 2010. They are the guys who have sold a lot of units but ALSO have good CSI scores on how they treat people. They have to have both.

If you put a number on the table that they cannot match, ask them to politely say no, and find another dealer. There is no need for histrionics in car dealing.... or shenanigans by the dealer.

Go into a BMW dealer and ask for the sales manager - tell him you have spec'd the car out on the website and print it out. Tell him you have your own financing. If he cannot see you, ask for a CA that was a top "Profiles" winner on 2010. They are the guys who have sold a lot of units but ALSO have good CSI scores on how they treat people. They have to have both.

If you put a number on the table that they cannot match, ask them to politely say no, and find another dealer. There is no need for histrionics in car dealing.... or shenanigans by the dealer.

GREAT ADVICE!! Seriously that's what I did...

I did my research on pricing, spec'd it out, pinged a few dealers online to feel them out, then went to where I wanted to buy anyway, got the sales manager, handed him my config and I said, "I'm ready to buy today, I did my research and know where prices need to be, let's make it happen and we'll sign within the hour". I got like 6.5% off invoice (200 over invoice cost) and I never had to beg. Signed right there...

My advice...when you walk into a dealer knowing what you want and ready to sign, they know it and will make it happen. With the web being on our side it's not the wheeling and dealing of old... you have to be ready to sign when you walk in, and with so much info at our fingertips no reason why we can't do that.

I did my research on pricing, spec'd it out, pinged a few dealers online to feel them out, then went to where I wanted to buy anyway, got the sales manager, handed him my config and I said, "I'm ready to buy today, I did my research and know where prices need to be, let's make it happen and we'll sign within the hour". I got like 6.5% off invoice (200 over invoice cost) and I never had to beg. Signed right there...

My advice...when you walk into a dealer knowing what you want and ready to sign, they know it and will make it happen. With the web being on our side it's not the wheeling and dealing of old... you have to be ready to sign when you walk in, and with so much info at our fingertips no reason why we can't do that.

I was a GM and SM for several years and retired from BMW corporate - I would take guys like this all day long vs those that had no idea what they wanted, when they wanted to buy and did not do their homework. Properly prepped, the customer "ready to buy" is the preferable one for all concerned, and gets the better deal (at least with me...LOL)

I am sorry some of you are having problems with CA's... there really are some great ones out there that have been doing this for 15 or 20 years...don't lose patience, just try to find one that you can work with. Go for one with experience....

I was a GM and SM for several years and retired from BMW corporate - I would take guys like this all day long vs those that had no idea what they wanted, when they wanted to buy and did not do their homework. Properly prepped, the customer "ready to buy" is the preferable one for all concerned, and gets the better deal (at least with me...LOL)

lmao... thanks! Can you come out of retirement so I can get my M5?
Just my philosophy buying cars. I work in IT and a pre-sales engineer...which means I'm in sales...so when I buy something I got into it knowing what sales people want... bottom line: all sales people want to be enabled to close....that's what they are wired for...so when you tell them that they can do just that, deals get done. If you walk in and just want to poke around, why would I sell you anything.

Anywone who is not in sales needs to remember this: The part of sales that sales people like is closing, not selling... selling is a necessity...closing is why sales folks do what they do. (watch the moving boiler room) If you walk in telling a sales guy that he can bypass the selling part and move right towards closing....what do you think is gonna happen....